Panamint
Springs
My home was in Ridgecrest at this time. Left there to pick up Rod H. at his house, leaving my place at 6:30 A.M.. Rod decides that he will drive his Jeep also as he needs to return to Ridgecrest early. Stop at mini-mart. Drive out into Panamint Valley. Meet Cliff at Panamint Springs Resort at 7:52 A.M. Rod and I breakfast with him there. Leave Panamint Springs at 9:00 A.M. Drive to Ballarat and visit briefly with Louie, caretaker, who knows Rod and I well. Introduce Cliff to Louie.
Goler
Canyon Road, looking toward Goler Canyon
Drive south past Briggs Mine to road through Goler Canyon. Ascend Goler.
Goler
Canyon
Newman
Cabin
Stop at Newman Cabin. We note that there are new directional signs at various junctions in the canyon, erected by Boy Scout Troop #41. We turn off at the Keystone (Lotus) Mine, arriving at 11:20 A.M.. Visit lower camp. Drive to upper mine portal. Inspect equipment and ruins.
Lower
Camp of Keystone (Lotus) Mine
Upper
Mine of Keystone (Lotus) Mine
Upper
Mine of Keystone (Lotus) Mine
Goler
Canyon
Drive into Death Valley National Park. Drive to Barker Ranch, arriving at 1:20 P.M. Rod leaves Cliff and I at Barker and returns to Ridgecrest. Cliff and I continue on toward Mengel Pass.
Barker
Ranch
Barker
Ranch
Barker
Ranch
Barker
Ranch
"Bloody
Symbolism." Melted candle inside Barker Ranch gives eerie
portrayal of Manson killings in the Los Angeles area in the late
1960s
Upper
Goler Canyon
Hit a section of road with bedrock protrusions. Walk and inspect. Cliff videotapes me with my camera traversing the section. I do the same for him. Stop at Mengal Pass at 2:25 P.M.
Mengel
Pass
Monument
at Mengel Pass dedicated to Carl Mengel
Bad
stretch on east side of Mengel Pass. Steeper than it looks
Continue. Hit very bad downhill section immediately after leaving Mengel. Inspect. Set my videocamera on rock and videotape my decent over bad section. Cliff guides me through. I guide and videotape Cliff through bad section. Went to Russell Cabin in Butte Valley, arriving at 3:20 P.M.. Visit with campers at Russell cabin. Go to Geologists Cabin, arriving at 3:50 P.M. Leave Geologists Cabin and descend Warm Springs Canyon.
Butte
Valley
Russell
Cabin
Russell
Cabin
Russell
Cabin
Geologists
Cabin
Meet up with Asian-American tourists driving up in a Ford Aerostar and a Toyota 4-Runner. Wonder if they were going to attempt going over Mengel. Arrive at the abandoned Pfizer talc mine camp. Inspect camp. Leave camp at 5:35 P.M.
Pfizer
camp in Warm Springs Canyon
Pfizer
camp in Warm Springs Canyon
Pfizer
camp in Warm Springs Canyon
Pfizer
talc mine below camp
Drive to West Side Road in Death Valley, arriving at 6:15 P.M. Drive to Badwater Road, arriving at 6:25 P.M. Turn north toward Furnace Creek. Pass Badwater in the dark at 6:55 P.M. Arrive at Furnace Creek Ranch at 7:20 P.M. I’ve got a quarter tank of gas and pull into the Chevron station, only to find it closed. Cliff and I eat dinner at the restaurant at Furnace Creek. Waitress puzzled as to why the gas station was closed, it normally closes much later. My mind is in a quandary about where I should gas up - risk getting to the station at Stovepipe Wells on time (if it wasn’t also already closed), go to Beatty to gas up, or head for Trona and pray that the station is open or that I don’t run out of gas before getting there. Depart from Furnace Creek at 8:30 P.M. after saying good-bye to Cliff. Drive to Beatty, gas up. Leave Beatty at 9:30 P.M. Drive to Ridgecrest and home, arriving at 11:56 P.M.
Lower
Death Valley
West
Side Road looking back toward Panamint Range
Gassing
up in Beatty